GrahamM
Managing Editor
- Joined
- Feb 23, 1999
- Messages
- 9,773
- Reaction score
- 1
It looks like one or two are getting a bit hot under the collar about repeat threads, in particular the one from Vince regarding his research into Northants waters. So a few guidelines about posting threads seems to be in order.
Re-posting threads is totally unecessary. If anyone wants to revive a lapsed thread all they have to do is post another message at the end of it and it will automatically come back to the front.
For example, if Vince wants to revive his Northants waters thread in a few weeks time all he has to do is post a message on the existing thread to ask if any new members can help. This thread will then come 'live' again and everyone who has ticked the appropriate box will get email notification of it.
What we don't want is a dozen identical threads posted by the same person when a simple message at the end of the original thread does the same job and keeps it tidy. It is to the benefit of the poster too, because all the replies will then be contained in the one thread and not spread all of over the forum. Also, by keeping it under one thread it helps to prevent different posters from posting repeat information.
If anyone wants to post a new thread but first wants to check if someone else has already asked the question all they have to do is use the search facility on the first page of the forum. It's easy to use and accurate. It will find thread titles, any text in messages, and the names of posters.
But that doesn't mean that someone can't ask the same question that someone else did a few months ago. It just means that quite often you can find the answers you're looking for by running a simple search of the forum.
Anyhow, the bottom line is this: Don't repeatedly post the same thread, all it does is get people's backs up, bores the pants off them, and causes ill feeling.
Re-posting threads is totally unecessary. If anyone wants to revive a lapsed thread all they have to do is post another message at the end of it and it will automatically come back to the front.
For example, if Vince wants to revive his Northants waters thread in a few weeks time all he has to do is post a message on the existing thread to ask if any new members can help. This thread will then come 'live' again and everyone who has ticked the appropriate box will get email notification of it.
What we don't want is a dozen identical threads posted by the same person when a simple message at the end of the original thread does the same job and keeps it tidy. It is to the benefit of the poster too, because all the replies will then be contained in the one thread and not spread all of over the forum. Also, by keeping it under one thread it helps to prevent different posters from posting repeat information.
If anyone wants to post a new thread but first wants to check if someone else has already asked the question all they have to do is use the search facility on the first page of the forum. It's easy to use and accurate. It will find thread titles, any text in messages, and the names of posters.
But that doesn't mean that someone can't ask the same question that someone else did a few months ago. It just means that quite often you can find the answers you're looking for by running a simple search of the forum.
Anyhow, the bottom line is this: Don't repeatedly post the same thread, all it does is get people's backs up, bores the pants off them, and causes ill feeling.